Purpose: To examine the antitumor effects of Irinophore C, a nanopharmaceutical formulation of irinotecan, on the tissue morphology and function of tumor vasculature in HT-29 human colorectal tumors. Experimental Design: Fluorescence microscopy was used to map and quantify changes in tissue density, tumor vasculature, hypoxia, and the distribution of Hoechst 33342, a perfusion marker, and the anticancer drug, doxorubicin. Noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify K trans , the volume transfer constant of a solute between the blood vessels and extracellular tissue compartment of the tumor, as a measure of vascular function. Following treatment with Irinophore C, 19F magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to monitor the delivery of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to the tumor tissue, whereas scintigraphy was used to quantify the presence of bound [ ), and 5-FU (P = 0.0002) in the tumor. Vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-8, two proangiogenic factors, were down-regulated, whereas the antiangiogenic factorTIMP-1was up-regulated in Irinophore C-treated tumors. Conclusions: Irinophore C treatment improves the vascular function of the tumor, thereby reducing tumor hypoxia and increasing the delivery and accumulation of a second drug. Reducing hypoxia would enhance radiotherapy, whereas improving delivery of a second drug to the tumor should result in higher cell kill.The clinical management of metastatic disease originating from colon/colorectal cancer remains challenging. The liver is the most common site of distant metastases for colorectal cancer, with 70% of patients presenting with liver metastases followed by the lungs, bone, and brain (1, 2). At present, the only cure is complete surgical removal of the primary tumor if diagnosed early; however, up to 45% of these patients still relapse with metastatic disease. Standard of care for first-line therapy in patients is a combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU; plus leucovorin) with either irinotecan (FOLFIRI) or oxaliplatin (FOLFOX; ref.3). The treatments are associated with prolonged median survivals of 18 to 21 months. Capecitabine, an oral fluoropyrimidine carbamate, has also been used in combination with 5-FU, and clinical data suggest that this combination is comparable with the FOLFIRI and FOLFOX regimens (4, 5). In practice, however, combination therapy with capecitabine is limited because of severe toxicities such as hand-foot syndrome, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and bone marrow suppression (4, 5). More recently, monoclonal antibodies targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor, such as cetuximab and panitumumab, have been used in combination with standard chemotherapy with promising results (6). The safety and efficacy of bevacizumab, the monoclonal antibody that targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; ref. 7), in combination with FOLFIRI or FOLFOX, was also evaluated recently (8,9). Although both studies were carried out with small Cancer Therapy: Preclinical